- The huge mammal, which can grow up to more than 50 feet and can weigh 30 tons, got entangled off Maui
- In trying to free itself from the fishing line in both sides of its mouth, the beast dragged 285 feet of line with it
- Rescuers managed to cut it free, and seemingly in celebration, whale breached out of water in front of them
A humpback leaped out of the sea after being freed from two thick fishing lines which had got caught in either side of its mouth.
The huge mammal, which can grow up to more than 50 feet and can weigh 30 tons, got entangled off Makena Beach on Hawaii’s island of Maui.
In trying to free itself, the beast yanked more than 285 feet of braiding line with it, which rescuers had to work tirelessly to gather and untangle.
After being cut loose by the NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program rescuers, the whale appeared to celebrate by breaching out of the water as workers watched in awe from their dinghy.
An image provided by NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program shows an entangled humpback whale with line running from both sides of its mouth, spotted off Makena Beach on Hawaii’s island of Maui
Free at last: The huge humpback whale, that was freed after being entangled, breaches out of the water off Makena Beach on Hawaii’s island of Maui
After being cut loose by the NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program rescuers, the whale appeared to celebrate by breaching out of the water as workers watched in awe from their dinghy
The huge mammal, which can grow up to more than 50 feet and can weigh 30 tons, got entangled off Makena Beach on Hawaii’s island of Maui. Rescue teams then went to the scene and began to remove the more than 285 feet (87 meters) of braided line that the whale was trailing
The humpback whale was freed of braided line caught in its mouth on Friday. It was first spotted on Thursday by the captain of a fishing vessel